Lesson topic: Which is better: truth or compassion?

(based on M. Gorky’s play “At the Lower Depths”)

Class: 11

Lesson type: lesson-seminar with elements of discussion.

Goals: I .Educational:

Continue studying Gorky's play "At the Lower Depths."

Create conditions for expanding students' knowledge about the analysis of a work of art.

II .Developing:

Create conditions for the development of students’ expressive reading skills.

Create conditions for improving the skill of analyzing a work of art.

III . Personal:

Create conditions for awakening in students a sense of pride in a person.

Equipment: 1. M. Gorky “At the Bottom”

2. Screen adaptation of M. Gorky’s play “At the Lower Depths”

3.Presentation, projector

Literature: 1 . M. Gorky “At the Bottom”.

2. Severikova N.M. and others. Literature: Textbook. Benefit for Wednesdays. Specialist. Textbook head..–4th ed.– M.: graduate School, 1983.–P.335–359.

3.Russian literature of the 20th century. Essays. Portraits. Essay. Textbook Manual for 11th grade students. general education Institutions. In 2 parts. Part 1/Comp. E.P. Pronina; Ed. F.F. Kuznetsova. – 3rd ed. – M.: Education, 1996. – P.41.

4.Volkov A.A. A.M. Bitter. A manual for students. – M.: Education, 1975.

5. Fedin K. Gorky is among us. Paintings literary life.– M.: Soviet writer, 1977.

Lesson structure: 1. Organizational moment.(1 min.)

2. Opening remarks teachers.(2 min.)

3. Work on the problems of the play. Drawing up a diagram (26 min.)

4.View an excerpt from the film adaptation of M. Gorky’s play “At the Lower Depths” (5 min.)

5. Conclusions. (6 min.)

6.Tests

7. Lesson summary: a) homework; (3 min.)

b) grading. (2 min)

Lesson progress:

I.Organizational moment.

Teacher: Hello guys! We continue to study the work of M. Gorky, or rather his play “At the Depths”.

II.Opening speech by the teacher.

Teacher: Today is not an ordinary lesson. We will answer questions, think, share our thoughts, argue. Currently, the question “What is better: the bitter truth or the sweet lie” is becoming increasingly relevant? truth or compassion? We will try to answer this question with you.

The play begins with a description of the gloomy life of the Kostylevo doss house, which is depicted by Gorky as the embodiment social evil. The author describes this shelter for the poor. Gathered here different people: men and women, old and young, healthy and sick. These people have a terrible present and no future. And of all these overnight stayers, Gorky singles out two: Satin and the wanderer Luke - these are two opposing philosophies.

III. Working on the problems of the play. Drawing up a diagram.

Teacher: Guys, what did we learn about Luke from the play? What is he like? Who is he?

Student: Luke the wanderer came from far away. He always speaks in aphorisms and proverbs. He gave hope to all the residents of the shelter, reassured them, and was kind to everyone. Life beat him a lot. But Luke did not stop loving people.

Teacher: What do we know about Satin?

Student: Satin spent 4 years in prison because of his sister (he stood up for her), he used to be a telegraph operator, and read a lot. He drinks a lot, plays cards and gets into fights. Believes in man.

Teacher: Now let's draw up a diagram of negative and positive traits character of Luke and Satin and find out which of them is depicted by Gorky as goodie, and who is as negative.

Luke Satin

+ / - + / -

sympathetic deceitful truth-loving cruel

patient proud distrustful

kind discordant

communicative

talkative

humane

Teacher: So, it turns out that Luke and Satin have something good and bad, and it’s impossible to say for sure who is positive and who bad guy. What is Luka’s relationship with the inhabitants of the shelter (with Anna, Natalya, Ash, Nastya, Kleshch, Actor)?

Student: He treats everyone kindly. He promises Anna rest and peace in the next world, he persuades Natalya to believe Ash and run away with him, he tells Ash about Siberia, where you can earn a lot of money, he simply listened to Nastya and pretended to believe him, he gave the actor hope that he would be cured at a free alcohol clinic.

Teacher: How does Satin feel about the inhabitants of the shelter?

Student: He mocks everyone, makes fun of them, tells them the harsh truth straight to their faces, destroying the hopes of the “dwellers of the bottom.”

Teacher: What does Satin say about work, labor?

Student: That work should bring joy, only then will it work.

Teacher: How does Luke treat all people?

Student: Luke is presented by the author in the image of a wanderer, more reminiscent of a preacher or minister of a religious cult. He is wise and carries light and human warmth. Already from the threshold, he addresses the heroes as normal people: “Good health, honest people!” He treats everyone with warmth and understanding: “I don’t care! I respect swindlers too, in my opinion, not a single flea is bad: they’re all black, they all jump...”

Teacher: Fine. What does Luke say about man?

Student: Luke says: “Whatever he is, he is always worth his price...”

Teacher: How does Luke calm Anna down? What does he tell her about death?Student: " You can rest there!..” “Death, it is like a mother to small children.”

Teacher: What does Luke promise to the Actor? What hope does it give him?

Student: He tells the Actor that in some city there is a free clinic for alcoholics.

Teacher: Did the Actor believe Luke? How has his behavior changed?

Student : Yes. The actor believed Luke. He stopped drinking and began saving money for the trip.

Teacher: What solution does Luka offer to Vaska Ash?

Student : He suggested that Vaska go to Siberia and start a new life there.

Teacher: How did the story about Siberia influence Ash?

Student : He wants to improve: “...we must live differently! We need to live better! I have to live this way... so that I can respect myself.

Teacher: How does Luke answer the question “Is there a God”?

Student : “What you believe is what you believe”

Teacher: How do you understand this?

Student : That is, you can believe in whatever you want, and with this faith it will be easier to live.

Teacher: There is a debate about truth in the play. How does Luke talk about truth?

Student : “The truth is like a blow to the head...”

Teacher: Right. How does he explain his lies?

Student : “It’s true, it’s not always because of a person’s illness... You can’t always cure a soul with the truth!”

Teacher: What does Kostylev say about the truth?

Student : He says that not all truth is needed.

Teacher: Fine. How does Bubnov feel about the truth?

Student : He says: “Leave the truth as it is. I always tell the truth! I can't lie. For what?"

Teacher: What does Satin say about the truth? Read his words.

Student : “Lies are the religion of slaves and masters, truth is the God of a free man.”

Teacher: Luke tells a parable about a righteous land. What is it about? Why did he tell it?

Student : He tells a parable about a man who believed in the existence of a righteous land. When a certain scientist proved that there was no such land, the man hanged himself out of grief. With this, Luke wants to once again confirm how saving a lie is sometimes for people and how unnecessary and dangerous the truth can be for them.

Teacher: Does Luke believe in people and love them?

Student : Luka loves people. He pities them and does not believe in them, killing with his pity the will to get out of the “bottom of life.”

IV.Viewing an excerpt from the film adaptation of M. Gorky’s play “At the Lower Depths”

Teacher: How does Satin evaluate the truth and what does he say about a person? The film will tell us about this - an adaptation of the play “At the Bottom”.

Guys! Luke's lie is life-saving. Gorky rejects this philosophy of saving lies; it plays a reactionary role.

Instead of calling for a struggle against unrighteous life, he reconciles the oppressed and disadvantaged with the oppressors and tyrants. This lie, according to the author of the play, is an expression of weakness, historical impotence. The author thinks so. Do you agree with this position of Gorky? What do we think?

Student : On the one hand, I agree with Gorky. But on the other hand, Luka is the only one who treats the residents of the shelter humanely, humanely (for example, with Anna). Even Satin respects him and protects him.

Teacher: So let's answer main question Today's lesson: Which is better: truth or compassion? True or false?

Student : I think that in some situations it is permissible to lie out of compassion for one’s neighbor (for example, for a seriously ill or dying person), in other cases it is better, of course, to tell the truth.

V .Conclusion.

Teacher: In the play, Gorky contrasts false humanism, which preaches universal humility, submission to fate, and true humanism, the essence of which is the struggle against everything that oppresses a person, depriving him of dignity and faith in his own strength, against the slave life of humanity. These are the two main truths that Luka and Satin argue about in the play - characters who immediately stand out from the general crowd of residents of the shelter with their philosophical approach to life, the ability to speak wisely and the ability to influence people.

However, at the beginning of the play, another, third, “truth” is given - Bubnov’s truth. Bubnov is too categorical, for him there is only black and white, while there is much more black. He lives and acts according to the principle “leave the truth as it is.” Bubnov tries to bring everyone who is in the shelter into the open, revealing his truth: “But I... I don’t know how to lie! For what?" This character tells both the Actor, and Medvedev, and Ash, and Nastya a bitter and painful truth, but the consequences of this truth are unpredictable! He is indifferent to his own fate, especially to the feelings of others, his view of life is overly skeptical, full of pessimism, and life itself seems to him complete nonsense; “All people float like chips along the river. That's it! They are born, they live, they die. And I will die, and you... Why be sorry! True, Bubnov kills any desire in a person to be human: “Everyone will die anyway,” so why go out of your way in vain, it’s better to immediately think about death.

But the righteous Luke sincerely wants to alleviate the suffering of people, help them, support them, and instill Orthodox humility in their souls. Luka knows who and what to promise, his speeches have a beneficial effect on the ears of the embittered residents of the shelter and plunge them into a pleasant oblivion, making them even more passive and disconnected from real life. But Luka bypasses Bubnov, Satin, Kleshch, obviously realizing that his pity can satisfy only the weak and those who doubt the possible happiness of people.

But Luke's preaching only brings harm. The inhabitants of the shelter are already driven to despair and live only in illusions, and Luka creates even more of them. He does not name a path that can lift them from the bottom, he does not believe in the capabilities of these unfortunate people and therefore resorts to sublime, but meaningless deception. Luke’s kind words only lull and fascinate, but they do not encourage one to fight, they do not give the strength and desire to actively act to change one’s own deplorable situation. Luke's call to hope for the best pushes the night shelters into inaction and humility, and he himself quietly leaves, leaving the unfortunate ones in complete confusion, with a bitter feeling of hopelessness.

Satin tried to understand Luka and soberly assessed his role: “Luka is not a charlatan,” as others thought, “but compassionate,” “crumb for the toothless.” He comes to the conclusion that Luke’s speeches, permeated with Christian morality, do not bring any benefit, but only lull the soul and deceive it. And Satin sharply criticizes lies: “Lies are the religion of slaves and masters, truth is the god of a free man.”

And, if Luke claims that a person must humble himself, endure and wait for a miracle. Satin proclaims the idea that a person must first of all be free and proud, must act, fight for happy life, without losing heart and tirelessly. Satin’s truth is closest to the thoughts of the author himself: through the mouth of Satin, Gorky expresses his own faith in man. Actual answer to the author's question: Which is better: “truth or compassion?” not in the play. Everyone decides this question for themselves.

VI . Tests

VI Lesson summary:

a) homework;

Write an essay - an argument on the topic: “Man is a great position”

b) grading.

M. Gorky's drama “At the Depths” is a complex, multifaceted work with deep philosophical content. What makes a person human? What helps and hinders life? What are the paths to finding happiness? The author is looking for an answer to these questions together with his heroes - the inhabitants of the Kostylev shelter.

It is interesting that on problems that have long troubled the minds of thinkers, in the play it is not the masters of philosophical debates who speak out, but people of the “bottom”, uneducated or degenerate, tongue-tied or unable to find the right words. Each of the night shelters has a certain outlook on life, professes his own “truth”: Bubnov and Baron, insensitive people far from illusions, are supporters of the cruel “truth of fact”, content with crude reality; Anna, Ash, Kleshch, Nastya, Actor live a dream, but at the same time they suffer and crave sympathy.

However, in my opinion, only two inhabitants of the shelter can be considered unique “ideologists” of the “bottom” - Luka and Satin. After all, Gorky formulated the “main question” of the drama as follows: “What is better: truth or compassion? What is more needed? In the play, Satin advocates for truth, Luke preaches compassion.

Satin is a strong man who has received a certain education. He once served in a telegraph office, where he picked up some “smart” words. Now he is a clever gambler. It is paradoxical that the truth is glorified by a sharper, that is, a person living a lie. Nevertheless, Satin’s monologues are bright, emotional, aphoristic: “Man - that’s the truth! Lies are the religion of slaves and masters... Truth is the god of a free man!..” Satin’s views are close to Gorky. In one of his letters, the author seems to echo his hero: “Only man exists, everything else is opinion.”

Satin affirms the “bottom” as the norm of existence, the only one worthy of a real person. He himself neglects the opportunity to live on honestly earned money. According to Satin, people should be respected, and not “humiliated with pity,” not lie to them, but finally finish them off with the truth: it’s more noble.

The wanderer Luke adheres to a different point of view. This hero is kind, forgiving of weaknesses, tolerant of the sins of others, and responsive to requests for help. “They crushed it a lot, that’s why it’s soft,” he says about himself.

Another attractive feature of Luka is his genuine interest in life, in other people, in each of whom he is able to discern individuality, a “zest”: “Every flea is not bad...”

Luke, of course, is needed by the sufferers, of whom there are many in the play: Nastya, Ash, Natasha, Actor, Anna, Tick. They need consolation and encouragement - a kind of anesthesia from the troubles that haunt them and a stimulator of interest in life. To console his interlocutor, Luka does not come up with any recipes, he only skillfully supports the dream that each of the dosshouses have: he convinces the actor of the existence of a hospital for alcoholics, in Anna he strengthens faith in the afterlife, in Nastya - in perfect love.

“What you believe in is what it is,” says the wanderer. In my opinion, a good motto for the “bottom”. As if confirming his words, Luke tells the night shelters a parable: the dream of a “righteous land” gave a man the strength to live, but the truth pushed him to commit suicide.

According to Satin, Luke’s speeches are “a comforting lie, a reconciling lie,” “a lie for salvation.” One can argue for a long time about the appropriateness of such deception. However, in my opinion, one cannot but agree with Beranger, whose poem the Actor constantly recites:

Gentlemen, if the truth is holy

The world doesn't know how to find a road,

Honor the madman who inspires

A golden dream for humanity!

I think Luke is such a “madman.”

Reflecting on the “main question” of the drama “At the Lower Depths,” Gorky tests the philosophies of Satin and Luke with life, shows how the speeches of the sharper and how the monologues of the wanderer influenced the night shelters.

Before Luka’s unexpected departure, the well-being of the inhabitants of the “bottom” noticeably improves; Most of them have a growing belief in the possibility of living a better life. The old man advises dying Anna to be patient and promises a heavenly life in heaven. The woman believed him and died calmly. According to the philosophy of Satin, who, by the way, looked quite calmly at the suffering of a dying woman, it was not worth humiliating her: after all, a lie under the guise of pity cannot but humiliate a person.

Thanks to Luke, Ash lives the dream of honest life in Siberia, and Nastya - with faith in ideal love. According to Satin, it is necessary to return them to prosaic reality...

Heeding Luke’s assurances, inspired by the hope of healing, the Actor begins to work and even stops drinking for a while. But then Satin gets down to business, whose name, probably not by chance, is consonant with the name of Satan. He takes away the most valuable thing from the Actor - his dream, and he has no choice but to hang himself.

So, the drama “At the Bottom” is a sample of the possibility of helping people with the help of compassion or truth. There is an absolutely unambiguous answer to the question: “What is better: truth or compassion? What is more necessary? - not in the work.

I think Gorky has certain sympathy for both Satin and Luka. But there cannot be a single correct solution to such a problem: the truth is, of course, better than deception, but sometimes compassion is needed, "comforting lie."

Nikolay Basenko

What is better - truth or compassion? It is impossible to give a definite answer. “At the Bottom” touches on and reveals to readers several problems: lies and truth, merciful deception and bitter truth. In my opinion, after all better compassion, because it is precisely this that gives hope for life to any of the characters in the play “At the Bottom.”

Each of them: Satin, Bubnov, Nastya, Actor, Kleshch found themselves “at the bottom of life” through their own fault. A person chooses his own destiny, he must have a goal, a dream, in order to have something to strive for. But the heroes don’t have this... They don’t live, they only exist, spending the rest of their lives in a dark, dirty shelter. Day after day the same thing: darkness, emptiness in the soul, complete indifference to everyone and everything... But it was like that until a certain moment. . .

With the appearance of a new character - Luka, it seemed that now everything would get better: people would get out of this hole on our own– they just need to be pushed. It is Luke who shows compassion, gives hope, and consoles. He, like no one else, has influence on these low people. Being near death, Anna listens to the old man, believes in his words of compassion, they help her - the woman dies with the hope that in the other world everything will be fine for her: no suffering, no poverty. Luke’s words did not go unnoticed by the Actor: a man who has lost all hope suddenly understands the meaning of life, that not all is lost, that everything can still be corrected and a fresh start. But, alas, this will not be... Just as instantly you gain hope, just as quickly you can lose it. Compassion is not just words that have an impact as long as you hear them - it is a spiritual revolution, constant desire to aspiration and change.

It would be a mistake to say that it was Luke who was to blame for the death of the Actor, that it was words of compassion that ruined the man. He helped people. What if he did not console the inhabitants of the “bottom”, but, on the contrary, once again showed the truth of their lives, the place they occupy in society? This wouldn't change anything better side, only pushed him to the “extreme step” of solving all problems - suicide.

The author does not accept a naive belief in miracles, but it is precisely the miraculous that the characters in this drama imagine, some in a marble hospital, others in honest work, others in love happiness. Luke’s speeches were effective because they “fell on the fertile soil of cherished illusions.”

The characters in the work, of course, touched the truth, but did not overcome the feeling of hopelessness. Their circle of existence has closed: from indifference to an unattainable dream, and from it to death and emptiness.

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“The arrival of Luke only for a minute accelerates the pulse of a dying life, but he can neither save nor raise anyone” (I.F. Annensky) (based on M. Gorky’s play “At the Depths”)

The meaning of the image of Luke in Gorky’s play “At the Lower Depths”

What is better - truth or compassion? (based on the works of M. Gorky)

Which is better, truth or compassion? (based on A.M. Gorky’s play “At the Lower Depths”)

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Is it really necessary for a person to know the absolute truth, or can remaining in illusions and fantasies be much better and even more saving for him? This question is asked by the great Russian writer and playwright Maxim Gorky in his play “At the Depths”.

Heroes of Gorky's work - ordinary people, by the will of fate, forced to fight for their survival, saving every penny they got, through labor and sweat, in order to somehow make ends meet. Among them there are both once famous or noble people (Actor, Baron), and those who starved all their lives (Anna). But, despite the dirt and lawlessness that surrounds them, they still try to remain human and adhere to moral guidelines. In their conversations, they raise problems that sharply contrast with the disgusting conditions of their living with their sublimity and originality.

The purpose of their dialogues is to search for some universal truth of life, and each of the characters in the play sees it in their own way.

The first position is accepting the disappointing truth as it is, without softening embellishment. On the side of this position is Bubnov, once the owner of a dyeing workshop. This hero is skeptical, cynical and cruel, there is not a drop of compassion in him - even to the request of the dying Anna to behave more quietly, he replies: “Noise is not a hindrance to death...”

The second position in this matter is the position of the eccentric wanderer Luke. He is trying to show the need for pity for every person. He consoles the dying Anna with the words that after death she will finally find peace. Luke tells the actor about a free hospital where he is treated for drunkenness. Some residents of the shelter take Luka's words with hostility, accusing him of giving people only empty hopes, completely turning a blind eye to the true state of affairs. But is this truth so good? And is it worth blaming the wanderer for his sincere desire to help the inhabitants of the shelter, at least with a kind word?

A saving lie is sometimes necessary. Anna needs her - her days are numbered, she is dying, and Bubny’s cruel truth would only make her death more painful. But then, do the other heroes of the play really need false hopes and compassion, and didn’t they lead some of the heroes to an even more tragic death? Even though the majority of the inhabitants of the shelter are not to blame for their fate, they are weak-willed on their own and do not want to correct the situation. The actor, who after Luka’s disappearance decided that there was no salvation, commits suicide; Bubnov still does not move beyond bilious and cynical reasoning. All heroes are united by their inability to do anything to rise from the social bottom.

We can say that only one character in the play is truly right - Satin. He sees no point in “chewing” obvious things once again, in illusions and blind consolation. Neither compassion nor any truth is worth anything without the desire to act, to fight the difficulties of life, without a person’s strong self-confidence.

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“Which is better: truth or compassion?” - essay based on the play “At the Lower Depths”

Maxim Gorky's play “At the Depths” asks fundamental questions, answers to which humanity is still looking for today. One such question is:

“WHAT IS BETTER: COMPASSION OR TRUTH?”

The heroes of the work, the inhabitants of the shelter, are people with different beliefs, ideals and backgrounds. Some dream of freedom, others of love, and still others no longer believe in anything at all. But they are all united by the search for the meaning of their worthless existence.

Luke's appearance gives hope to the desperate inhabitants of the shelter. These people, without a present or a future, gain faith thanks to Luke's sweet lies.

Luke himself is well aware that he is deceiving these unfortunate people, however, he does this with good intentions. His position is conscious and thoughtful. Luke strives to console people in any way. It doesn’t matter to him whether these words are true or false, the main thing is the result. After all, the bitter truth can finally finish off a person who finds himself at the bottom of his life, pushing him to commit suicide.

Luke's main opponent is Satin, who prefers to accept the truth, no matter how bitter it is, to accept all the absurdity of the world around him.

For him, living a lie is tantamount to a loss of self-respect, tantamount to recognizing oneself as weak and defeated. And Satin strives to hold out until the end, remaining a strong person.

The ending of the play is dramatic. The philosophy of compassion fails. Everyone whom Luke tried to help could not find a way out of their life’s dead ends. The preaching of compassion did not change the lives of the heroes.

However, Satin’s philosophy, which did not develop into concrete actions and actions, as a result is no different from empty promises better life. The world of the shelter's inhabitants is filled with a feeling of hopelessness. Nothing has changed in the lives of the heroes. Truth and compassion alone cannot bring the desired relief.

One should strive to find a middle ground, when the blade of truth becomes not a weapon of merciless murder, but an instrument of merciful healing of the human soul.

Essay "At the bottom - Gorky" "What is better: truth or compassion?" - essay based on the play “At the Lower Depths”

Man - that's the truth!

We must respect the person!

M. Gorky

It is unlikely that anyone will argue that Gorky is a humanist and great writer, who has gone through a great school of life. His works were not written to please the reading public - they reflect the truth of life, attention and love for people. And this can rightfully be attributed to his play “At the Bottom,” written in 1902. It still disturbs the questions posed by the playwright.

Indeed, what is better - truth or compassion? If the question had been formulated a little differently - true or false, I would have answered unequivocally: true. But truth and compassion cannot be made mutually exclusive concepts by opposing one to the other; on the contrary, the whole play is pain for a person, it is the truth about a person. Another thing is that the bearer of truth is Satin, a gambler, a sharpie, himself far from the ideal of a person, which he sincerely and with pathos proclaims: “Man! This is great! It sounds... proudly!” He is contrasted with Luke - kind, compassionate and “evil”, deliberately invoking a “golden dream” to the suffering shelters. And next to Luka and Satin there is another person who also argues about truth and compassion - M. Gorky himself. It is he, it seems to me, who is the bearer of the truth of compassion. This follows from the play itself, from how enthusiastically it was received by the audience.

The play was read in the shelter, the tramps cried, shouted: “We are worse!” They kissed and hugged Gorky. It still sounds modern now, when they began to tell the truth, but forgot what mercy and compassion are. So, the action takes place in the Kostylevs’ rooming house, which is a “cave-like basement” under “heavy stone vaults”, where prison twilight reigns. Here tramps eke out a miserable existence, having fallen “to the bottom of life”, where they were mercilessly thrown out by criminal society.

Someone very accurately said: “At the Bottom” is a stunning picture of a cemetery where people valuable in their inclinations are buried alive.” It is impossible to see the world of poverty and lawlessness drawn by the playwright, the world of anger, disunity, the world of alienation and loneliness, to hear without an internal shudder. screams, threats, ridicule. The heroes of the play have lost their past, they have no present, only Kleshch believes that he will break out of here: “I’ll get out... I’ll rip off my skin, but I’ll get out...” The thief has a faint hope for another life with Natasha, “ thief's son" Vaska Pepla, dreams of pure love prostitute Nastya, however, her dreams evoke malicious ridicule from those around her. The rest have resigned themselves, submitted, do not think about the future, have lost all hope and have finally realized their uselessness.

But in fact, all the inhabitants are buried here alive. The actor who drank himself to death and forgot his name is pitiful and tragic; crushed by life, patiently suffering Anna, who is near death, is not needed by anyone (her husband awaits her death as liberation); smart Satin, a former telegraph operator, is cynical and embittered; the Baron is insignificant, who “expects nothing”, “everything is already in the past” for him; Bubnov is indifferent to himself and others. Gorky paints his heroes mercilessly and truthfully, " former people", writes about them with pain and anger, sympathizes with them, who have found themselves in a dead end in life. Mite declares in despair: "There is no work... no strength! That's the truth! Shelter... there is no shelter! We must breathe out... this is the truth!..” It is to these people, it seems, indifferent to life and themselves, that the wanderer Luke comes, addressing with the greeting: “Good health, honest people!” It is to them, the rejected, the renounced from all human morality! Gorky’s attitude towards the passportless Luka is unambiguous: “And all the philosophy, all the preaching of such people is alms, given by them with hidden disgust, and under this preaching the words also sound beggarly, pitiful. And yet I want to understand.” Is he so poor, and what motivates him when he preaches his comforting lies, does he himself believe in what he calls for, is he a swindler, a charlatan, a scoundrel, or a sincerely thirsting for good?

The play was read, and, at first glance, the appearance of Luke brought only harm, evil, misfortune, and death to the shelters. He disappears, disappears unnoticed, but the illusions that he planted in the devastated hearts of people make their lives even more bleak and terrible, deprive them of hope, plunge their tormented souls into darkness. Let's once again see what motivates Luka when, after taking a close look at the tramps, he finds words of consolation for everyone. He is empathetic, kind to those who need help, and gives them hope. Yes, with his appearance under the arches of the gloomy shelter, hope settles in, previously almost imperceptible against the background of swearing, coughing, growling, groans. And a hospital for drunkards at Actor, and saving Siberia for the thief Ash, and true love for Nastya. “People are looking for everything, everyone wants what’s best... give them, Lord, patience!” - Luka says sincerely and adds: “Whoever seeks will find... You just need to help them...” No, it is not self-interest that drives Luka, he is not a swindler or a charlatan. Even the cynical Bubnov, who doesn’t trust anyone, understands this: “Luka... he lies a lot... and without any benefit for himself...” Ash, unaccustomed to sympathy, asks: “No, tell me - why are you doing all this. ..” Natasha asks him: “Why are you so kind?” And Anna simply asks: “Talk to me, honey... I feel sick.” And it becomes clear that Luka is a kind person who sincerely wants to help and instill hope.

But the trouble is that this good is built on lies and deception. Sincerely wanting good, he resorts to lies, believes that earthly life there cannot be another, therefore it takes a person into the world of illusions, into a non-existent righteous land, believing that “it is not always possible to cure a soul with truth.” And if it is impossible to change life, then you can at least change a person’s attitude towards life. I wonder what Gorky’s attitude is towards his hero in the play? Contemporaries recall that the writer was best able to read the role of Luke, and the scene at the bedside of the dying Anna brought tears to his eyes and delight to his listeners. Both tears and delight are the result of the merger of the author and the hero in a fit of compassion. And wasn’t it because Gorky argued so fiercely with Luka because the old man was part of his soul?! But Gorky is not against consolation in itself: “The main question that I wanted to pose is what is better: truth or compassion? Is it necessary to take compassion to the point of using lies, like Luke?”

That is, truth and compassion are concepts that are not mutually exclusive. Luka leads away from the truth that Kleshch realizes: “To live is a devil - you can’t live... here it is - the truth! heal with a butt? The old man believes: “...You need to feel sorry for people!.. I’ll tell you - it’s time to feel sorry for a person... it can be good!” And he tells how he pitied and saved the night robbers. Bubnov opposes Luke’s stubborn, bright faith in man, in the saving power of pity, compassion, kindness: “In my opinion, I’ll give the whole truth as it is! Why be ashamed?” For him, the truth is a cruel, murderous oppression of inhumane circumstances, and Luka’s truth is so unusually life-affirming that the downtrodden, humiliated night shelters do not believe in it, taking it for a lie. But Luke wanted to inspire faith and hope in his listeners: “What you believe in is what it is...”

Luke brings people the true, saving, human faith, the meaning of which was captured and expressed in the famous words of Satin: “Man is the truth!” Luke thinks that with words, pity, compassion, mercy, attention to a person, you can raise his soul, so that the lowest thief understands: “You have to live better! You have to live like that... so that you can... respect yourself...” Thus, for Luke there is no question: “Which is better - truth or compassion?” For him, what is human is true. Then why is the ending of the play so hopelessly tragic? Although we hear that they say about Luke, he inspired Satin to make a fiery speech about a beautiful and proud man, but the same Satin indifferently asks the Actor to pray for him: “Pray yourself...” And to him, leaving forever, after his a passionate monologue about a person shouts: “Hey, you, Sicambrian! Where to?” His reaction to the death of the Actor seems creepy: “Eh... ruined the song... stupid cancer!” It is scary that an inhumane society kills and maims human souls.

But the main thing in the play, in my opinion, is that Gorky made his contemporaries feel injustice even more acutely social order, which destroys people, ruins them, made me think about man and his freedom. And what moral lessons did we extract? We must live without putting up with untruth, injustice, lies, but not destroy the person within us with his kindness, compassion and mercy. We often need consolation, but without the right to speak the truth, a person cannot be free. "Man - that's the truth!" And he gets to choose. A person always needs real hope, not a comforting lie, even if it is for salvation.

What is truth? Truth (in my understanding) is absolute truth, that is, the truth that is the same for all cases and for all people. I think that such truth cannot be. Even a fact, a seemingly obvious unambiguous event, is perceived differently by different people. So, for example, news of death can be understood as news of another, new life. Often the truth cannot be absolute, the same for everyone, because words are ambiguous, because the meaning of the same word is understood differently. Therefore, I would start talking not about truth - an unattainable concept - but about truth, which is designed for the “average” person.

The juxtaposition of truth and compassion gives the word “truth” a certain connotation of harshness. Truth is the hard and cruel truth. Souls are wounded by the truth and therefore need compassion.

It cannot be said that the heroes of the play “At the Lower Depths” represent a more or less homogeneous mass of people - impersonal, characterless. Each of the characters feels, dreams, hopes or remembers. More precisely, they carry something precious and sacred inside them, but since the world in which they live is heartless and cruel, they are forced to hide all their dreams as far as possible. Although a dream, which would have at least some proof in harsh real life, could help weak people - Nastya, Anna, Actor. They - these weak people - are depressed by the hopelessness of real life. And in order to live, just live, they need a saving and wise lie about the “righteous land.” As long as people believe and strive for the best, they will find the strength and desire to live. Even the most pitiful of them, even those who have lost their name, can be cured and even partially resurrected with pity and compassion. If only the people around him knew about it! Maybe then, out of self-deception, even weak person built himself a better life that was acceptable to him? But those around him don’t think about it, they expose the dream, and the man... “went home and hanged himself!..”

Is it worth accusing an old man of lying, who is the only one of the inhabitants of the shelter who thinks not about himself, not about money, not about drink, but about people? He tries to caress (“It is never harmful to caress a person”), he inspires hope with calmness and pity. It was he who, in the end, changed all the people, all the inhabitants of the shelter... Yes, the Actor hanged himself. But not only Luke is guilty of this, but also those who did not spare, but cut the heart with the truth.

There is some stereotype regarding the truth. It is often believed that the truth is always good. Of course, it is valuable if you always live in truth, in reality, but then dreams are impossible, and after them - a different vision of the world, poetry in the broad sense of the word. It is a special view of life that gives birth to beauty and serves as the basis for art, which in the end also becomes a part of life.

How do stronger people perceive compassion? Here is Bubnov, for example. Bubnov, in my opinion, is the toughest and most cynical of all the inhabitants of the shelter. Bubnov “mumbles” all the time, stating the bare, heavy truths: “no matter how you paint yourself, everything will be erased,” he doesn’t need a conscience, he is “not rich”... Bubnov, without hesitation, calmly calls Vasilisa a fierce woman, and in In the middle of the conversation he says that the threads are rotten. Usually no one specifically talks to Bubnov, but from time to time he inserts his comments into a variety of dialogues. And the same Bubnov, Luka’s main opponent, sad and cynical, in the finale treats everyone to vodka, growls, screams, and offers to “take your soul away”! And only the drunken, generous and talkative Bubnov, according to Alyosha, “looks like a person.” Apparently, Luka also touched Bubnov with kindness, showed him that life is not in the despondency of everyday melancholy, but in something more cheerful, hopeful - in dreams. And Bubnov dreams!

The appearance of Luka rallied the “strong” inhabitants of the shelter (Satin, Klesch, Bubnov in the first place), and even a whole general conversation arose. Luke is a man who had compassion, pity and love, and managed to influence everyone. Even the Actor remembered his favorite poems and his name.

Human feelings and dreams, his inner world more expensive than anything and most valuable, because a dream does not limit, a dream develops. The truth does not give hope, the truth does not believe in God, and without faith in God, without hope, there is no future.

The play begins with a description of the gloomy life of the Kostylev flophouse, which is depicted by Gorky as the embodiment of social evil. The author describes this shelter for the poor and orphaned. A cave-like basement. The ceiling is heavy, stone vaults, smoked, with crumbling plaster. Different people have gathered here: men and women, old and young, healthy and sick. These people have a terrible present and no future. And of all these overnight stayers, Gorky singles out two: Satin and the wanderer Luke - these are two opposing philosophies.

With the appearance of Luka in the shelter, a lot has changed. To Anna’s admiration for his kindness, the wanderer spoke about himself: they crushed him a lot, that’s why he is soft. His heavy life experience and homeless wanderings determined the main features of his psychology. Among them is a keen interest and compassion for people. I want to understand human affairs,” Luka defines his main desire. He understands all the inhabitants of the shelter and each one individually. Attentive to the troubles and suffering of overnight shelters. Is it any wonder that the inhabitants of Kostylev’s basement are drawn to the wanderer! Luke seems to them the only protector of the unfortunate. He believes that a person is worthy of pity, that people do not need the truth. Luka calms you down and inspires hope with his tales of better things. The lie in this shelter is connected with the name of Luka. Desperate people are drawn to the old man for a warm word, and he offers them an illusory way out. Almost every homeless person receives false hope of salvation. A surge of illusions obscures the true state of affairs from the unfortunate. Luka manages to talk to almost everyone everywhere. Only three - Satin, Bubnov, Baron evade the old man's advice. The beating of Natasha by Vasilisa, the arrest of Ash, who killed Kostylev in a fight, the suicide of the Actor. It is difficult to imagine another, equally strong outcome of Luke’s dangerous activities.

The complete opposite of the wanderer was Satin. He correctly assessed the effectiveness of Luke’s beliefs and made far-reaching conclusions: Everything is in man, everything is for man! Only man exists; everything else is the work of his hands and his brain.

Maturity of judgment has always distinguished Satin; he believed that you need to face the truth, believe in yourself and change the world for the better. Satin did not forgive lies out of pity for dependent people. He brought the night shelters into contact with the truth. And reality is destructive for them, for example, the Actor interrupts own life. And his departure from life is the result of the death of his illusions (hopes for a cure for alcoholism) - this is the step of a person who failed to realize the real truth: It seems to me that the truth should not be hidden from people, no matter what, and the death of the Actor is not because because Satin opened his eyes, but because of his weakness and gullibility. A person cannot act on the basis of his consciousness; he needs to be pushed to do so. And it’s better to do this without hiding the truth from him. And the actions he takes will completely depend on him. Man is the creator of his own destiny and there is no need to blame the truth.